Katherine Heigl has revealed the Korean girl she is adopting has special needs, and has called the process ''intense''

The 'Ugly Truth' actress - who confirmed she and husband Josh Kelley are adopting 10-month-old girl Naleigh earlier this week - has revealed the process moved quickly because officials are keen for the baby to settle in with her new family.

Katherine said: "She is a special needs baby and because of that it all moved so much faster. They wanted to get her to us as quickly as possible. Timing has played a role in us telling people. I wanted to tell everybody so you don't think I stole a Korean baby!

"She was actually born the day before me in November which I thought was really serendipitous and just kind of like a sign. I realised just recently that I basically forfeited my birthday for the rest of my life."

Katherine, 30, has also opened up about the process, explaining she and Josh had to fill out a 40-page questionnaire, and detail their upbringing and parenting philosophy.

Katherine explained to US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres: "We'll be adopting real, real soon. About a year ago is when we said, 'OK, let's start the process,' and the process is intense.

"These are very valid questions. You think about some of these things. You talk about some of these things but you don't really get into the mix of it until you're looking at these questions going, 'Oh my God we better answer these right otherwise they won't give us the baby.'

"It's different but it isn't, do you know what I mean? It's just as intense I'm sure to have a baby biologically because you're going through the whole physical sort of thing of it."

Katherine has previously said she has always wanted to give a Korean baby a home - her adopted sister Meg is from the country - and was upfront with Josh about her feelings from the start of their relationship.

She revealed: "It's been a big part of my life and my family. My sister is Korean and my parents adopted her back in the 70s and so I just always knew that this is something I wanted to do. I just wanted to make sure that I was marrying a guy who understands that this was going to have to happen. Not everybody is down with that, not everybody thinks that."